This news has been circulating the net for weeks now, but I just like to post it here – just so my friends won’t fret when they see me munching chocolates (hehe). According to a research study at The researchers say dark chocolate is particularly rich in a chemical called theobromine, which stimulates the heart, relaxes smooth muscle, and dilates blood vessels; it has been used to treat chest pain, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries. They also say the other chemicals in chocolate include magnesium, which lowers hypertension, and flavanoids, which are potent antioxidants, and the darker the chocolate is, the better it is. Finally, some good news! I get to eat guilt-free dark chocolate and avoid preeclampsia. Woohoo! Still, moderation is the key with this. It is not an excuse to eat chocolate instead of a regular meal, say lunch or dinner. This news is not in anyway a justification for indulging too much of chocolates during pregnancy. Nevertheless, chocolate is awesome, just as I’ve always thought
I’m quite concerned that my regular readers (ie, officemates) will find the frequency of my posts on all things pregnancy tiresome and boring after awhile. But that’s the direction of my life. I’m becoming a parent, and this blog primarily talks about what I find relevant to me – my pregnancy. I feel pressured sometimes to come up with an entry that is not pregnancy related. But I was glad to find out, few minutes ago, that Mam Trish tagged me with this one – my first ever non-pregnancy post! Thanks Mam Trish! This is a breather
Participants: 1. Tere - Blessing in Life 2. Yen - Me and Mine 3. Thea is bloggerhappy 4. Thea is berryscrappy 5. Tricia -Tricia’s World 6. ka2x – kakangagata!
1. What do you want for your birthday? An out of town trip with Papa A, of course with my baby in tow
2. Who will be your next kiss?
Papa A
3. When was the last time you went to the mall?
Last Sunday, Mother’s day. Big mistake. Sobrang daming tao!
4. Are you wearing socks right now?
Nope
5. How did you spend your summer? I just stayed at home or went to the malls when Im not at work. Still hoping to go to
6. Have you been to the cinema in the last 5 days?
Yup. We watched What Happens to Vegas.
7. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Dalandan juice
8. What are you wearing right now?
Maternity clothes – slacks and blouse
9. What was your last purchase?
Dalandan juice and grilled ham and cheeze sandwich
10. What was the last food you ate?
11. Who would be the person you would call if you were up in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep?
No one. Will probably just go eat something and then go back to bed hehe
12. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
Nope
13. Do you have a pet?
None
14. What made you laugh in the last 5 days?
Cant remember
15. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
Los Banos, Laguna
16. What is the last thing you purchased online?
Haven’t tried it
17. One thing you hate about yourself?
My armpits!
18. Do you miss anyone?
Yeah
19. What are your plans for the day?
Go home and have dinner
20. Last person you msg’d?
Papa A
21. Ever went to a camp?
Nope
22. Are you a good student in school?
Hmmm… I could have been a good student
23. What do you know about the (your) future?
Nothing.
24. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
Nope
25. Where is/are your best friend/s right now?
Most of them are here in Pque, some of them still in Los Banos, a few in
1. Coffee, coffee, coffee. With the kind of work I have, coffee is god! 2. Badminton, Flick people, my rubber shoes, my jogging pants and sporty shorts and shirts. I just miss running, jumping and just being active. 3. My high-heeled shoes. I feel I look tall and sexy with stilettos. Buti na lang uso ang flats these days. 4. Going to the salon. I go to the salon every 3-6 months to have my hair relaxed. But now, I tie it real tight, on a daily basis. Then I put on hair gel to tame those baby curly hairs on top of my head. Otherwise, I’d look like Hagrid’s sister! 5. My slim pants (or embudo pants). I like them because it makes your waist look smaller and your hips and buttocks bigger. Everything seems to look bigger now. 6. All of my baby tees. I just have to put them in a big plastic bag and give them away. How could I have worn those tiny clothes before? What was I thinking?! 7. My pre-pregnant office clothes. These maternity clothes look boring because I have to wear the same set every week. 8. Sleeping on my tummy. Of course! 9. Being able to sleep through the night without having to get up to pee. Arrgh! I just want a good loooong sleep. 10. A hot rowdy ”toooot* Disclaimer: I love being pregnant. I don’t feel obligated to give up on anything. It’s just that my habits have changed a bit and I’m missing the old ones, things that I enjoy pre-pregnancy. I’m fine without them by the way
Yes that’s right, 26 weeks! Two more weeks and I’m on my way to my last trimester. Time is really beginning to fly fast. I think from here, things are really going to slow down until my due date (August 3)! The baby is still kicking every single day. It seems that he has developed an active-mode pattern these days. I noticed that Little Ben is quite active in the morning, as soon as I wake up, then after lunch, and then around 9-11pm when I get home. On occasion, I have seen my belly moves! At first, my reaction was eeewww! Seeing a bump on your belly moves is strange, as in sobrang strange. Ano ba yun? But I got used to it, I guess I have to. It’s my baby noh! But sometimes the vision of those alien movies creeps into my mind. geez! Little Ben likes to stretch and make papansin especially when Aris is around, and it will become more noticeable and visible later on. I have to really get used to it! So for you eks, who asked about an update, here it is. According to i-am-pregnant.com: By this week, your baby`s crown-to-rump length is approximately 9.2 inches. Remember, that is only from the top of his head to his bottom and does not include his leg measurements! Your baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is beginning to put on weight. Your uterus is about 2.5 inches above your bellybutton and you will continue to grow approximately 1 cm each week. If you have been eating a well-balanced diet, you probably have gained about 16-22 pounds so far. Because your baby has moved further up, you may get occasional pain underneath your ribs. After a month of having his eyelids sealed shut, your baby begins to open his eyes again this week. Your baby`s eyes are almost completely developed. Your baby`s eyes are blue in the womb and may change colors later in life. This is true for all races because the iris doesn`t have its final color until a few months after birth. However, some babies are born with darker or lighter shades of blue. Your growing baby will continue to put on layers of fat until he is born. He is still lean at this point of the pregnancy though. By the time your baby is born, he will assume the typical newborn`s plumpness. Your baby`s skin will still be wrinkled and red, but the fat continues to fill the skin out. Finger and toe nails continue to grow. Blood vessels start to develop in the lungs to prepare the baby for life outside the uterus. Your baby`s blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby. Even though it is still way too soon for your baby to be born yet, the chance of survival without severe abnormalities is now 70% provided it is born in a hospital. I still don’t have a single stretch mark around my tummy. Yey! Though there are 2 or 3 strips of dark stretch marks on my left butt cheek! Yaiks! And oh there is a dark line vertically transecting my belly. It’s called linea negra. It will eventually disappear weeks after the delivery, thank goodness! During the past weekends, I was also able to shop for Little Ben’s clothes, mostly things that we should bring to the hospital when the big day arrives, and a few selfish items that are not quite needed
. I ended up with undershirts, a few pairs of socks, sleep outfits, a couple of cute hats, a sweater, a blue hooded blanket, a pair of onesies, and a dozen of lampin. As for myself, I purchased 2 big bras, a nursing bra, a big mirror, and turbo-powered vacuum cleaner. Before May ends, Aris and I hope to buy Little Ben’s crib, feeding bottles, and chest of drawers so we can at least have permanent place to store all of his stuff. I really want to paint our room a combination of moss green and blue. Aris doesn’t like the idea. I might give him a big surprise one day, who knows… just like when I bought that vacuum cleaner! Ha!